If you’ve ever tried entering a complex password on your Apple TV, you know the pain. That default linear keyboard layout has you swiping endlessly left and right, hunting for characters like you’re playing some sort of tedious game show.
Use Apple watch backtrack to retrace your steps
On Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Series 6 and later models running watchOS 9 and newer, you can use the Compass app’s Backtrack feature to track your route and then help you retrace your steps in case you get lost.
Backtrack uses the GPS on your Apple Watch to create a virtual breadcrumb trail of your route so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of where you’re going. According to Apple, Backtrack is designed to be used in remote settings, away from familiar places like your home or workplace, and outside densely populated areas without Wi-Fi, but there’s nothing stopping you from using it anywhere you need it.
[mai mult...]Use your iPhone as a Microphone for your Mac
When Apple released macOS Ventura in October 2022, it introduced a new take on its Continuity Camera feature by letting users use their iPhone’s camera as a webcam for their Mac. Continuity Camera works wirelessly or wired in FaceTime, Zoom, and other apps, and delivers video directly from a user’s nearby iPhone camera, which has significantly better quality than the built-in camera on Macs.
Another function of Continuity Camera is the ability to use a nearby iPhone as the microphone input for your Mac. As long as the iPhone is running iOS 16 or later and signed into the same Apple Account, you can speak into it and the audio will be seamlessly delivered to your Mac, sans video.
[mai mult...]How to schedule a Windows 11 theme change based on Time of Day
Get creative with Sound by Layering Tracks in voice memos
On iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, the Voice Memos app includes a recording feature that lets you record a second audio layer – like vocals, narration, or an extra instrument – over an existing memo, all without needing headphones. Keep reading to learn how it’s done.
Thanks to the A18 Pro chip’s advanced audio processing, iPhone 16 Pro models can play an original Voice Memo recording through the speakers while simultaneously isolating and capturing new audio cleanly. Whether you’re capturing a quick harmony, adding context to a saved memo, or simply experimenting with sound, layering recordings like this offers a seamless way to capture richer ideas.
Once finished, layered recordings can be edited, separated, and fine-tuned directly on the iPhone or easily transferred to apps like Logic Pro for more advanced mixing. For musicians, podcasters, or anyone who regularly records voice notes, it’s a bit like having a mini studio setup right in your pocket. Here’s how to make your first layered recording.
[mai mult...]Open your favorite Messages chat from your iPhone Lock Screen
In iOS 18.4, Apple added a new Shortcuts action to open a specific conversation in the Messages app. This means it’s now possible to open a chat thread with someone important to you straight from your Lock Screen, for example. Keep reading to learn more.
If you’d like to reduce the time it takes to chat with a frequently contacted person, this new shortcut action is for you. Placing a shortcut on your Lock Screen to a spouse or family member’s chat thread allows you to contact them without navigating through the app, making it perfect for quick updates, urgent communications, or daily check-ins.
The feature also streamlines interactions by minimizing distractions, since it lets you bypass the Messages interface, so you won’t be tempted to engage with other messages or notifications. It could be handy in situations where rapid access matters, such as emergencies or business communications. The following steps show you how it’s done.
[mai mult...]How to find your Apple TV Siri remote using your iPhone
In iOS 17 and tvOS 17 and later, Apple includes a feature that lets Apple TV users locate a misplaced Siri Remote using their iPhone.
Prior to the launch of the latest Apple TV 4K, there were rumors that Apple would build Find My functionality into the Siri Remote. That didn’t happen. Instead, Apple introduced a new iPhone option that does essentially the same thing.
If a Siri Remote becomes lost, the Apple TV remote control available in the Control Center on an iPhone can be used to locate the missing remote. When enabled, users will see a Find My-like interface on their iPhone that guides them toward the remote, with an onscreen circle that changes in size to guide movement in the right direction.
Note that Find My for the Siri Remote is available on the second and third-generation Siri Remotes, and the feature is limited to the Apple TV 4K models released in 2021 and 2022 with updated firmware.
[mai mult...]iOS 18.4: access hidden ambient Music Playlists
In Apple’s iOS 18.4 software update, there’s a new Ambient Music feature available in the Control Center options on iPhone.
[mai mult...]Stop Videos from looping in the Photos App
Have you noticed your iPhone videos keep playing on repeat in the Photos app? Since Apple’s iOS 18.2 update, the stock Photos app automatically replays videos until you manually pause them – a feature that might be fine at first but can quickly become annoying, especially with longer clips.
The auto-loop feature can be fun for short clips or when showing someone a quick video, but it forces you to take action to stop each video rather than letting it end naturally. It can be disruptive when you’re browsing through multiple short clips in your library, and proves particularly annoying when viewing longer content where you likely don’t want to see the same three-minute video play twice in a row.
Fortunately, Apple provides a simple toggle to disable the behavior:
[mai mult...]How to get Visual Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro
On iPhone 16 models, Visual Intelligence lets you use the camera to learn more about places and objects around you. It can also summarize text, read text out loud, translate text, search Google for items, ask ChatGPT, and more. And thanks to iOS 18.4, currently in beta, iPhone 15 Pro models can get in on the action, too.
Until recently, Visual Intelligence was a feature limited to iPhone 16 models with a Camera Control button, which was necessary to activate the feature. However, Apple in February debuted the iPhone 16e, which lacks Camera Control and yet supports Visual Intelligence. This is because the device ships with a version of iOS that includes Visual Intelligence as an assignable option to the device’s Action button.
Apple has since confirmed that the same Visual Intelligence customization setting would be coming to iPhone 15 Pro models via a software update. That update is iOS 18.4, which is set to be released in early April and is available in public beta.
Maybe you’ve installed iOS 18.4 beta on your iPhone 15 Pro, or maybe you’re waiting for the final release. Either way, in iOS 18.4 you can assign Visual Intelligence to the device’s Action button in the following way.
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